Bus services resume on all Rajshahi routes after 25-hour suspension

Bus services between Rajshahi and destinations across the country resumed on Tuesday night (July 14) after remaining suspended for nearly 25 hours due to a dispute over the Rajshahi District Motor Workers' Union election.

Operations returned to normal around 9:30pm on Tuesday, ending the disruption that began at 8:00 pm on Monday and left thousands of passengers stranded.

The suspension was lifted after separate meetings between the two rival groups of transport workers, facilitated by the Rajshahi district administration, resulted in a negotiated settlement.

Under the agreement, the district administration will oversee the workers' union election through a newly formed convening committee. The committee will include three representatives from each of the two workers' groups and three representatives from the administration.

The agreement also stipulates that former election commissioner Nazrul Islam (Helal) will not be included in the election management committee following objections from general workers.

The dispute stemmed from disagreements over the formation of the election management committee for the district motor workers' union.

During a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam on Monday, most labour leaders demanded that the committee be formed through a general meeting. However, the proposal was rejected as there was no existing executive committee in place.

The deputy commissioner instead proposed forming the committee under the administration's supervision, a move opposed by one faction of workers. The disagreement escalated, leading to the sudden suspension of bus services on all routes from Rajshahi.

With the latest compromise, transport operations have returned to normal, bringing relief to commuters after a day-long disruption.